She is still feeding good. She is eating everything we throw in the tank. She is also starting to change her color. She first was red but now she's starting to get a blackish color on the sides of her body. She is still active and moving around constantly. We also put her on different places just to she her reaction, but it looks as if she does not care because she just continues what she was busy with. Over all we would say that she is a calm fish. The waters pH level is 6.8. A KH of 10d. A GH of >6d, >6d and 10d. NO2 mg/l is 0 and NO3 is 10. It is really fun looking after the fish I would want to keep the fish(herschelle). Herschelle Lambrechts, 3139267. Margaou Prins, 3139242

Ruby hides behind the trees when spooked, but when u put ur face infront of the tank for a while she swims towards u. At times she even bumps into the wall of the tank, trying to swim towards ur face. She didn't eat the food wen she got it. But I left it there for about half an hour an when I got back she ate it. Wen I fed her I made the pieces as small as possible and I would blow at the surface of the water making the surface watet and also the food move around, giving it the idea of bait on the surface. When she eats she makes bubbles. But no bubble nest. She is not spooked to easily and adapted to her surrounding quickly. Margaou Prins, 3139242. Herschelle Lambrechts, 3139267

When I first received her, she had already been in the plastic bag for 2 days. It was a long ride home with her and I was scared she wouldn't survive as she was quickly running out of air. As soon as I got home I organised her tank, got the water to the right temperature, de-chlorinated the water, placed the plants ornaments and stones into her aquarium. I then left her in the bag and let it float in the tank so she could adjust to the temperature of her new tank water. I used my own tank which is much bigger then the one we received from Dr Knight.

At first she was swimming up and down the sides of the tank, probably trying to amend to her new environment. This was clearly a sign of stress. She was not very active for the first few days besides swimming up and down the sides of the tank. When I gave her her food she just tasted it and spat it out again. She hardly had a appetite. I removed the food she never ate as this could affect the water quality.

Slowly but surely she started to eat more and started becoming more active. I have a floating plant in the tank and she seems to love swimming on and through it. I think she sleeps on it as well. From what I understand, Betta's prefer live plants to fakes plants. I think this could be because the plant is living and the plastic plants could hurt her delicate fins.

Today Zara is alive and healthy. She is extremely active and is no longer showing signs of stress by swimming up and down the sides of the tank. I have her in a bigger tank than the one we received from Dr Knight. Even though the Betta originates from shallow waters, I think she prefers more space to swim in a larger tank.

When I feed her, she eats extremely aggressively as if she's attacking the food. This is probably normal and her natural instinct since she is a carnivore after all. On that note, I found a fly floating in the tank and the next time I looked the fly disappeared. She obviously ate the fly. This came as no surprise to me as it is in her nature to do that.

Zara loves the ornaments I have in the tank and always swims in and around the ornaments. She is a active young girl and I think it's about time to get her a mate!

This has been an amazing experience and I thank you Dr Knight for giving me the opportunity to take on this challenge of maintain my very own Betta fish.

On Wednesday, 11 May 2011 , we received a new fish.I will post from day 1 up to day 4.

Day 1 - Wednesday 11 May 2011I prepared water for the tank the day before , the Tuesday , and allowed it to stand over night, in order for the chlorine in the water to evaporate.I also washed out the tank ,washed the zeolite crystals and the plants before I placed it into the tank.I received the fish on Wednesday and brought it home, on the ride home i noticed that the fish would not swim around much in the tank, it would remain in one place for a while before it would swim to another place and then remain there for a few minutes.When I got home, i placed a piece of the Indian Almond Leaf in the tank to allow it to condition the water for a while before I placed the fish into the water.After a while,I then placed the fish , I placed the fish , inside the bag,with the plastic bag into the fish tank.I did this so that the fish could become use to the temperature of the water in the tank.I noticed that the fish would swim around a lot whilst it was in the water in the plastic bag because it was used to that water.After 10 - 15 minutes I then took the fish out of the plastic bag and placed it in the tank.i noticed that the fish would swim around the tank , around the plants that I had put in the tank and it would also swim up against the sides of the tank, this I took as a sign of distress and that it was not used to its new home.When i fed the fish later that evening I noticed that it ate all the food that I gave it ,I took this as a good sign.

Day 2 - Thursday 12 May 2011I noticed that the fish was moved active than the day before and that it wold swim all around the tank.I also picked up that she liked to swim in between the plants, especially the fresh one, that I had put into the tank.She had also gained some colour , which made her fins look bright red, from when I first put her into the tank.

Day 3 - Friday 13 May 2011The fish seems happy and healthy ,it is swimming all around the tank but I've noticed that it likes to be in between the plants.I picked up that it looked like she had lost some , but not a lot, of her colour. So i fed her to see if that was what was wrong with her.When I gave her food to eat, she ate all of the food and after that I noticed that she seemed more happy and after a while I noticed she started to gain her colour back.

Day 4 - Saturday 14 May 2011This morning I saw that she was happy and very active as she was swimming all around the tank.I decided to do a water change so that there would nit be a build-up of algae in the tank.I therefore let out only about 20-30% of the water in the tank and replaced it with water that i had prepared , water that i allowed to stand overnight so that the chlorine in it could be removed.Whilst I was changing the water,when i drained some water, I noticed that she was a bit distressed but after I added the water I noticed that the fish was more calm and not as distressed.She also seems happier now then earlier and is more active than what she was.

I noticed that when i changed the water my fish became wild nd restless after i changed the water so i decided to decrease the amount of water maybe i was changing a laege amount so the fish became stressed. on the 10th day i noticed that tequila my fish was setlling perfectly and the fins had developed a bright red colour and she was also growing in size. now she looks like a real fish and she swims freely in the tank. when i put fod in the tank i also noticed that tequila is aggressive towards the food its acting as if its hunting for the food bt most of all i enjoy tequila's company she brings life to my room. ANDISIWE 3139349

Minka swam around the tree quite often today, it seems like she enjoys it. She seems like a fish that would enjoy a nice big tank to swim around in.

She ate all three of her pellets today.

Saturday, 7th May

Last night Minka’s colouring changed. Her fins are usually a dark grey shade. Last night when I switched on the light her fins were red.

Minka ate all of her pellets today.

Sunday, 8th May

Minka’s fins are no longer red. They are a dark grey colour again.

I gave Minka a blood worm mix today. It is called Tetra: The natural alternative to flakes. When I dropped She swam quite fast toward her pellets and ate them all very quickly.

Monday, 9th May

Minka slept later than usual today. Usually she is awake when I switch on the light, yet this morning she was not moving much.

She ate all of her pellets quickly.

Tuesday, 10th May

Her colouring seems to be changing again. Her body no longer has a purple tint to it and she seems to be a cream colour now.

She swam around her tree quite often today. I think she only likes the tree on the right side of her tank as she never plays that game around the left tree.

She did not hurry to her food today like she usually does.

Wednesday, 11th May

I changed 25% of her water today. She was very unhappy and swam around frantically. I move her from my room to the kitchen during a water change. She seemed very uneasy after the water change so I moved her back to my room immediately and she seemed fine. She stopped swimming from the top to the bottom of the tank very soon after going back to my room.

She ate 2 out of her 3 pellets today.

Thursday, 12th May

My partner, Clint Williams fetched Minka today.

Notes about my time with Minka:

1: Minka’s surroundings:

I kept her tank in my bedroom. There is constant sunlight in the room. Minka was situated on a desk in the corner of the room, so the sunlight did not directly strike on her.

When I moved her into the dining room to see if her behaviour changed, I found that she did not do anything differently. She swam around as normal and did not appear to be frightened or bothered.

There were no disturbances for Minka, example no music was played near her.

2: Minka’s appetite:

Minka did not seem to enjoy her tubiflex worms, she did not eat much of ite.

3: Minka’s personality:

When I go towards Minka she does not seem scared. She often swims toward me. She seems like a playful fish. She loves food and would make an adorable pet.

Tequila tequila tequila what have i done to you you wer once alive filled with joy and happiness but now you seem dead with no expression i dont want you to go through oppression let me give u the freedom you want tequila tequila tequila what have i done to you i gave u love and life i made u part of my life what else do u want!andy 3139349

day 2-5 As days went by i noticed that tequila wasnt eating the food i gave her, so as broke as i was i told myself i cnt let this fish die because its part of me now it has to eat 1 way or the other, so i decided to feed it once more and this time i watched what was happening. so what i observed was that when i putted the food in the water it didnt eat it came close to the food and it just smelled the food and it goes away. an hour later i saw tequila coming close to the food and i watched carefully and all of a sudden she was eating. so i concluded that tequila doesnt like to be watched when she is eating. ANDISIWE MNKANI 3139349

Day 1- I got my fish on the 26th of April and she was in a small plastic bag and i named her tequila becuase she reminded me of a song that i liked. wen i got tequila she was greyish in colour not to talk about her size she was very tiny that my friends thought she was a warm. the first night tequila was a bit restless in her new tank nd she seemed as if she wanted to swim out of the tank, so i thought of a plan and i decided to give her some attention and love. i read her the bible and i even sang songs for her and she became relaxed. tequila and i bonded on our first night together. andisiwe 3139349

I recently did some reseach with regard to the colour changing of the female betta, it was said that it is perfectly normal for the fish to change colour when it is introduced to a new environment, it does not mean that the fish is changing gender. The food betta's usually eat in their natural environment are insects and insect larvae. Our betta has a mouth facing upward as it is adapted to snapping food floating on top of the water as the fish is extremely fast. How ever we did not hace access to these live foods, but we were provided by Dr. Richard, Tubefex, which is high in nutrients and provides the betta with efficient vitamins. I did not notice any bubble resin anywhere in the take but i did notice that the fish blew bubbles especially after it was fed, but the bubbles would soon disappear.

The zeolite crystals at the bottom of the tank are much darker than what they were before, The white crystals are now a very light brown with dark brown spots as it is extracting the harmful ammonia from the water.

The betta is situated ina warm area of the house (the lounge) as the lounge is constantly warm has sufficient sunlight. Because the betta originates from Cambodia, Thailand and certain parts of vietnam where the water tempreture is a consistant 22-28 degrees I try my best to keep the water tempreture between this range. I also read a article which stated that if the tempreture would drop beloww 22 degrees celcius the growth of the betta would be stunted, it could also be at a high risk of becomming sick and could even die of chronic stress.

The water also an indian almond leaf in it to aid the fish and keep it healthy, I also noticed that the fish is very attached to its leaf and would often sleep at the bottom of the leaf. When the leaf was introduced to the water it caused the water to change to a brownish colour, but i conducted a water change to clear up the water again, I did not notice the fish stress about the presense of the indian almond leaf at all.

The article also stated that the fish are jumpers but I hav not seen my fish jump at all.

Beth seems to be swimming in circles....Some days and other days not.She sleeps regularly underneath the leaf especially if we put the new leaf in or ontop of the tank.We also realised that if we don't put in so much food in the tank, theres not so much waste in the tank.So now we give her smaller portions of her food.

Today miche-lee cleaned Beths tank but we clean the tank every 3rd day to make saw that she don't get ill of her water. We remove her from her home(the tank) and then put her into a different container with some of her water that was in the tank. Then we rinse the tank out with luke warm water for the waste at the bottom of the tank to come loose.We noticed that there's somedays alot of waste but other days theres not much. We also noticed that she loves going under her leaf to sleep there.

Beth seems to be doing very well, she swims alot.some days she's not so active but we don't think that she could possibly be sick(ill) but we think it could be of the tempreture changes. We feed her twice a day but small portions of her food, that would be in the morning and evenings. She eats alot sometimes but other times she swallows the food and then spit it out again(we would like to believe that she might be full or that some pieces are too big forbeth to swalow seeing that shes so tiny)

Friday, May 13, 2011

we recieved a new fish on wednesday and his staying with candy.me and nomphelo are somehow updated and accordibg to candy our fish is doing good.his a bit more active than our previous fish so im hoping thats a good thing.theres been no significant colour change as yet.

We have noticed that keeping and domesticating the fish needs someone who has patience and at all times can manage his or her time.The fish has been a beneficial experience to us because it has made us learn that it must not be overfed when feeding it.Everyday a person must at least give it light for 12 hours a day and mostly monitoring is important when nurturing a fish.Overall our adaptive management was passively adaptive management because we were looking at a particular goal of keeping a fish and on a basis of a ongoing healthy lifestyle because our fish was living in a uncycled environment and there was no biological infiltration hence it needed a lot of water changes

On the 5th ,6th and 7nth of may 2011 We noticed a change or shift of the water temperature.We tried to avoid and prevented the circumstances from moving further to a bad condition.We changed the position of the water to a warmer place.After 2 hours the Fish was not coping well in the water . Due to the research we had made we found out that the fish must not be too much or directly exposed to the sun rays.Thus we later removed it to another warm position.At night the fish gained its conscious and was back to its good heath conditions.

On day 6 2011 we noticed a shocking and weird aspect on the fish. We noticed that Rhapsody had developed more appetite for food.She was also massively growing bigger and richer in color .Due to our research we had found out that the changes in a Betta spendens fish were determined on the kind of diet it got or it was structured to have. Rhapsody no longer fed on tubifex only instead it now fed on insects like mosquitoes,baby flies and locusts.which I now catch at the backyard of my room.After changing her diet we are now sure that she will have a longer lifespan and it will be a rare case that she will ever be sick or die of natural causes.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

When I woke up to check on Rhapsody I found out that she caught a baby flie and was eating it.That made me a bit worried because I knew nothing about a fish eating a fly and for the fact that she had a tiny stomach which is measured at a size of her eye ball thus I asked my partner to make a research.He gave me a feedback which stated out that a fish could eat certain small insects like mosquitos and other small insects but it should not be overfed because that will result to its death.At midnight She was sleeping under the leaf so I assumed that she was dying because of eating beyond the limit instead she was not dying but was irritated by the light, so I quickly switched it off.

On the 29nth of April 2011, Rhapsody was just moving from the bottom to the top of the water and when she reached the top surface of the water she just blew air with her mouth out of the water.We thought she was hungry and we gave her food but she just ate the food and spitted some of it out and would later chase the food to eat it.After eating her meal she was blowimg bubbles all day long untill midnight.This time she slept on the middle position of the water.

On the 28th when we were checking out on Rhapsody we noticed that the water had turned a bit green and brownish.Rhapsody was not even moving,when we gave her food she could not even see her meal but could sense it .Out of our anxiety we quickly rushed out to change the water.That day we made a research about the quality of water she deserved and we found out that the water was healthy for Rhapsody because she also came from a green water area.At midnight we realised something different,she no longer slept at the bottom of the watertank instead she was floating on top.

The fish was slowly moving around the tank showing no energetic forces of movements. We then gave it food and placed it on a spot where it had access to sunlight. The solar energy and the food that we gave to the fish boosted its energy levels hence it was moving fast in the water waggling its tail. Out of our curiosity and concerns we watched the fish untill midnight and it was shocking to see it sleeping at the bottom of the water.

Intlanzi seems to be displaying the same behavioural patterns as last week - that of a happy fish. She (still not sure of the sex) seems to be growing larger, especially her fins and her colour is slightly more saturated than last week. We will keep watching to find out if she makes a transition into the fairer sex.

We have changed our water twice this week and this weekend we are thinking of adding some natural vegetation to the tank. Intlanzi still sleeps under the Indian almond leaf and spends a considerable time close to the water surface.

What we noticed this week is that Intlanzi has a stronger appetite than the previous week. We saw her scavenging on the top and bottom of the tank, gulping matter and then spitting it out again. We imagined that she must be hungry so we are feeding her a tiny bit more thank before but still on every alternate day. The difference is that she finishes all the food fed to her. Until next time,

8 Mayi have moved the fish to a warmer room and it seems much happier there. it is swimming more and eating better. the temperature in the lounge was too cold after all. the colour is bright and the fish seems to be reacting towards me when i come closer to the tank. i did another water change just to make sure the fish remains healthy and happy.Candis James 2608505Diana JeromeNompelo

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Last night the name SAMPLE 1(Scientific Application Methodological Perpetuation of Life and Environment 1) was changed to a more subtle GALAPAGUS by little brother. Due to the survey done in class I realised how much I was missing in Galapagus' life, for example seeing him sleep, so I decided to wake up early to observe. She was sleeping at the bottom of the tank under the Indian Almond Leaf. The bubbles that were on the tank the whole weekend had dissapeared. When I fed her this morning she was her normal self. All doubt about her gender have absolutely vanished, I am sure she is a she. I googled betta female behaviour and she was normal even her sporadical movements at times, apperently she is reacting to seeing me.

Monday, May 9, 2011

When I fed the fish it blue many bubbles, I have never seen this many bubble. When I observe the edges of the tank I noticed there are many bubble than before and nothing has changed in the behaviour of the fish. The fish is a bit calm not eratic movements.

29 April 2011-temperature 19 degrees celsius the fish's head is starting to change colour , still not eating. A candle was placed close to the tank, fins turned bright red and the fish started eating. The fish is swimming from side to side, up and down in straight lines swimming close to the plant. The fish's colour apears to be changing.

30 April 2011-tempereture 18 degrees celsius colour bright red, fish still not eating the dried worms. The food was changed to freeze dried white shrimp. The tank was placed in the sun, when returning from the pet shop within 20 minutes the temperature increased to 22 degrees celsius. Began feeding feeding, fish examinnes food before eating it. BOdy scales, slowly starting to change light blue in colour but that can only be seen in the sun. Tank still clean but there are waste products at the bottom of the pro-v crystals (xeolites). An algea is starting to grow on the plant.

1 May 2011-temperature 19 degrees celsius, the fish is resting body appaers to turning black in colour(the body) fins are now dark red. Placed the tank in the morning sun.the shrimps are about 2cm which is broken in half and crushed. Fish doesnt eat the shell of the shrimp.Temperature 22 degrees celsius fins now dark red with blue tips and black body. area now shadey and fish appaers to be acting normal.

2 May 2011-The water was brown and the fish was unsettled, constintly started swimming against the glass.temperatue 19 degrees celsius, after water change fed the fish.the fish is more settled more of the body scales turning blue ontop of the body.

3 May 2011-Temperature 19 degrees celsius,fish is very relaxed,fish gets fed once in the morning only and the tank gets placed in the morning sun.

4 May 2011-temperature 20 degrees celsius. The fish is relaxed,roots of buds growing on the plant.

5 May 2011-water was changed, the fins grew a little. colour now dark red tips with dark blue fins body black in colour,fish still very calm.plants flowers starting to open.

6 May 2011-fish very calm, not going to feed today this could be because of over feeding that the fish is not very active.

We have noticed that the colour of the fish has enhanced tremendously, its dorsal fins are becomming more brightly coloured. It has healthy eating habits and the water is not mucky, the zeolite crystals are also becomming darkerm a water change was also performed this morning to ensure that the fish remains healthy

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Feeding times have remained constant. The only difference is that S1am now zooms up to the surface as soon as the toothpick and my hand approaches the tank. For the most part he dwells mostly at the surface. Day 5 i decided to a water change, removing about a third of the water by letting it drain from the tap at the bottom of the tank. The waste water didn't look to tragic. No sign of floating organisms (Appels must then be doing a good job). I prepared the replaced water much the same as when I first prepared the tank except the leaving of the water for a few days. i.e. boil the water, let it stand till it reaches room temp and gradually add to the tank without distressing S1am. When the Indian Almond Lead was introduced (day 6) he used it as a hiding spot. It probably feels more homely now. The leaf makes the environment look more natural. Slight discolouration in the water after the leaf was added.

So it seems he enjoys being suspended in the middle of the tank. He's gained a bit of colour and a bit more lively. He's perked up a bit which, which i think is somewhat a good sign that he's started to settle in. I noticed a few bubbles on the surface of the water. Male bettas build bubble nests. Must be on heat or something. Anyhow.... so what he does is take up air in his mouth and spit out bubbles, which stick together on the surface of the water. I fed him more or less the same amount today at more or less the same time. Ms Umar thinks that routine is key when raising a betta :-P. Feeding times will thus remain the same everyday. Give or take.

S1am came from a retail outlet on introduction to his new home he was a bit passive I'd say. Generally fine if you ask me. Judging by his behaviour on my way home from the pet store, he was a tad bit docile and slightly less alert. He also lost a bit of colour. Most likely due to the home move and elevated stress levels. Some slight tears in the fins but nothing major. The pet shop advisor said they generally repair quickly of their own accord. After about 3 hours, i decided to feed S1am. What i did was crush all the dried tubifex worm, i dipped the tip of a toothpick into some water then into th crushed tubifex, and then into the tank. S1am must have had quite an appetite as he devoured it all within a couple of seconds. The duress he was under probably added to his appetite. So he goes to chill in the bottom corner of the tank. Stuffed!

I decided the bugger needed some company and atleast a little greenery so that he doesn't get disorienated. Introducing "Appels". Appels is an Apple snail from the Ampullariidae family. He/she is very easy and has a very docile and peaceful temperament. He/she also has voracious appetite for more than S1am's faeces and the algae. He/she readily consumes the "Live Plant" if there isn't sufficient food around. He/she acts as a hoover, scavenging and cleaning the aquarium walls and bottom for sinking food and whatever may be found. Mostly active at night, while during the day it retires to the darkest areas of the aquarium. Since Apple snails are gonochoristic (seperated sexes), we hope that no reproduction has taken place if it's female. I thought Appels was asexual (without sex/sexuality).

2. So who's this "Live Plant"???

This live plant is called Hornwort (Ceratophyllum Demersum). It's a floating aquatic plant with no roots that grows like crazy. I use it to sponge up nitrates and prevent unwanted algae. Because it grows so fast, I've had to trim it twice. It provide a retreat for S1am if he doesn't feel like looking into my or anyone else's face.

3. From India you say

It was noticed that bettas that live in water next to Indian Almond trees (the leaves of which would fall naturally in the water) were found to be healthier and more vibrant than those not in close proximity to Indian Almond trees. The leaves were found to keep the fish healthy with strong anti-bacterial qualities and promotion of breeding. I added an Indian Almond leaf which gradually turned the water brown like tea. The day i added it, it floated at the top of the tank providing a natural hiding spot for S1am. It effectively reduces PH levels in water by releasing organic compounds such as humic acid, flavanoids and tannins into the water which absorb harmful chemicals (still to be tested)

3. Water Management System• Regular weekly 10-15% (or more) water changes remembering tode-chlorinate water.• Clean gravel when doing weekly water changes.• Algae an either be scraped off or alternatively a freshwater algaeeating snail.• Adding aquatic plants provides shelter and alleviates stress in theBetta. Plants make aquarium water healthier eliminating toxicsubstances, inhibiting algae growth, releasing oxygen needed by fishto breathe and removal of Nitrate to allow plant to grow. One plant issufficient for aquarium size and can be pruned.4. Food ManagementBettas subsist almost exclusively on insects and insect larvae.“Internally their digestive system is geared for meat.” Live foods areideal, although flake foods, frozen and freeze dried tubifex worms orfrozen bloodworm. Bettas need little to sustain them. They can be fedonce daily or every other day.

This post and the previous post by myself and Ms Umar was our pre-home prep for the actual madness.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Our betta seems to have by this time adapted well to its home except when the changing of water takes place.

DAY 3

When I changed the water for the first time on the 3rd day, she seemed to have felt stress by this change.She kept jumping out of the water and almost seem to be flaring.She also kept swimming againts the bag .

Hereafter(about 3-4 hours after the change) she now seemed to be doing better. She started swimming around at a faster pace and even started to explore the tank, by swimming around the plastic tree and at times, attempting to swim through it.

DAY 4

Our betta seems happy.It was her second feed today and she immediatly swam up to eat it.but the thing that scares me is that although she goes for the food, it seems as if she spits it out afterwards.

Also the water turned brown again and seems rather dirty.

DAY 5-10

During this time the betta "underwent" her 3rd and 4th water change and seems to be less annoyed by this routine.

She,now spits less of the food fed to her out and still swims gracely through her aquarium.

I had now noticed that she seems to have gain quite some red colour on her fins.

Pique seems okay.He has just become somewhat restless, swiming up and down the side of the tank.we have decided to clean his tank every 2nd day.although its his first real day in the tank, the water had realy turned brown.The cause of this seems to Be the leaf.

when we introduced our fish, Pique to his new home, he seemed really withdrawn.he never moved much or attemtped to eat the fish food provided.after about 3 hours i noticed that slowly but surely he had started to adapt to his surroundings.